By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
The success of recent police raids on the use of the illegal drug methamphetamine or ‘ice’, is pointing a strong finger at the well off in urban Apia as the main users.
All of the police raids so far have been mostly inside the surrounding villages of the Apia Township.
“The street value for one small plastic ‘ice’ bag is $100,” Assistant Police Commissioner Auapaau Mr. Logoitino Filipo told Newsline.
“There are not many people who can afford that kind of spending money on illegal drugs, certainly in the villages, except for the more affluent urban population.”
The Vaigaga raid last week on Wednesday, 2 February 2022, is the more recent example.
The police haul of illegal items included more than $4,300 tala in actual cash and $2,500 worth of small plastic ‘ice’ bags the drug is sold in.
Expensive electronic items like computer laptops, cellphones, stereo speakers and even a drone were included as well.
Three males between 30-35 years old with police and prison records were arrested in the raid including a female between 18-25 years old.
An earlier police raid that led to the arrest of a senior executive public servant, enforced suspicions that main users are at the higher income bracket.
That raid ended with an even much bigger haul than last week at Vaigaga of hard cash, drugs and electronic machinery.
What is becoming an added worried twist for the police is a sudden spike in complaints of breaking and entering into family homes.
Police are starting to suspect that electronic items like computer laptops and cellphones are being stolen and exchanged in place of cash to buy the drugs.
Assistant Commissioner Auapaau said they are trying to have the families with breaking and entering complaints, come in and check out the items recovered from the raid.
He is hopeful it will make it possible to link the use of illegal drugs to the complaints and the sudden jump in the criminal act becoming noticeable.
The police are also slowly noticing that more and more arrests are finding people with ‘ice’ on them rather than any other illegal drugs in circulation.
“A plastic bag of ‘ice’ is more likely to be found on a person arrested rather than a marijuana joint as it was common in the past.”
The Assistant Commissioner is, however, unable to see or learn from their work any noticeable incidences of drug addictions.
What they can tell more clearly from police investigations is the ‘meth’ supplies are coming in from the borders rather than being manufactured locally.
In one instance meth were found hidden inside cereal bags during a customs officers’ inspection and it is one of the many cunning ways the drug dealers are smuggling their illegal supplies in.
Commissioner Auapaau is appealing for public support with information to help out with their investigations.
“Fears of being identified and possible retaliations are what keeps many of the public from giving support that will go a long way into the success of our work.
“We are grateful at the growing number of people who tip us off with phone calls and we would like to encourage more to just call with whatever information they have.”
The villages are reported to be relatively safe so far from the spread of the illegal drug and the traditional authority of the chiefs and orators are largely credited.